African-European Distribution Academy, a training programme supported and funded by major stakeholders in Germany’s film and culture industry, is set to begin.
According to an early statement from the organisers, the AEDA programme “bridges the gap between African film distributors/producers and the European market”. The goal is a “mutual strengthening” of film distribution across both continents and “the mutual understanding of each market”. The African countries involved in the project are Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya.
A stated objective of the programme is the furthering of “an authentic African cinema that is compatible with international film industries”. Nonetheless, the programme is also interested in films that are “able to play a significant role in local film markets”.
“By creating these structures,” the statement continues, “it will be possible to increase the visibility of regional film culture as an alternative to American Blockbuster movies and to provide a higher share of the profits to local producers.
“The exchange with European participants will furthermore enhance the possibility of European films to be recognized in Africa and be distributed in cinemas. The participation of European world sales and German film distributors will shift the focus onto the African market and provide a basis for a cooperation on a level playing field.”
In presenting a case for the creation of the programme, the statement explains that, historically, cultural institutions from Europe have put efforts towards assisting artists and projects, while insufficient work has gone into building the required infrastructure.
Structure of the African-European Distribution Academy
The AEDA was created to fix that infrastructure problem and other issues. To do so, the programme will be split in two. The first part is a series of webinars starting on 19 August. The second part, says Torsten Frehse, head of German distribution company Neue Visionen Filmverleih, will bring eight participants to Germany for a training on film distribution that would also involve film festivals in Hamburg, Cologne, and Leipzig.
The initial plan was for a group of German experts to first visit the chosen African countries, but “we did not get enough budget for that,” Frehse told Film Efiko. “The webinars are a way for all participants from the three East African countries to take part.” To prevent too much of a Europe-centred arrangement, some of the speakers at the webinars will be African.
Commenting on why the programme is for East Africa at the moment, Frehse said that the decision was a practical one. He compared the chosen East African countries to a West African country like Nigeria, where there is an existing distribution system. “There is actually only one film distributor in Kenya, no film distributor in Ethiopia, and none in Rwanda either,” he said.
AEDA is the brainchild of the Germany distribution company Neue Visionen Filmverleih. Supporters of the programme are Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig Holstein, Filmfest Cologne, Filmfest Hamburg, AG Verleih, and EWIP (European Work in Progress).
